Originally Posted by wphamilton

This was an unusual one since I forgot it was a holiday. I even got up early to get a jump on the day, and wasted no time getting on my way. Traffic was light, and even the early morning school buses were not out and about yet. I was feeling good, sun coming up and shaping up to be a clear day and with a little extra time I was tempted to take a detour to check out a potential short-cut I'd spotted on the map. A new housing development that butted up against a road I knew. Then I thought, "No it's Monday, diversions are unwise with possible cascading failures" so I decided not. Yet when I reached the decision point there was an inviting break in the traffic and I was overwhelmed by the whim. Commencing a slow but short climb through the construction zone, while being careful of the large machines and the workers who were already bustling about with impressive energy, it looked promising at first. Lots of speed bumps, varied grades, I'd guess about 20-25 very large houses, it will be sedate during those sleepy mornings.

At the far reaches I spotted a paved walkway which I knew would likely lead to the corporate complex that I sometimes cut through. It was starting to become less than ideal because, sidewalk. It started out quite steep but passable without pedestrians, and then the grade increased sharply, defeating me for the first time on the fixie. But only for about 50 feet, and then I was able to continue on. But shortly thereafter right at the road entrance I was turned back by a 8 foot chain link fence, secured by a heavy chain and a serious padlock. I guess they really don't want people wandering into the neighborhood from the commercial area.

Arriving at the offices, the almost empty parking lot finally clued me in that this is a holiday. I was a little chilled since I tend to dress light and 25° is cold by our standards so I went in anyway to thaw out, and talked with the security guard who I've known there for years. After 15 minutes or so I was ready for the return, and the extra morning ride, with the sun now shining and the winds finally settled, was an unexpected pleasure.